Simon Jordan has acknowledged that the connections between Frank Lampard and the open manager’s position at Rangers have perplexed him, saying that such a move “makes no sense.”
The decision to fire Michael Beale following their loss to Aberdeen and a rocky start to the season has led to links between the former Chelsea midfielder and the vacant manager’s position at Ibrox [Glasgow World, 2 October].
Having been without a job since his interim spell in charge of Chelsea at the end of last season, Jordan has made it clear that he doesn’t believe the England international would be a good fit in Glasgow, given his recent failures as a manager.
Speaking on talkSport’s White & Jordan on Tuesday (3 October, 10:17) he said: “I’m not sure that Frank Lampard would be the right fit. I’m trying to work out on what basis would I be looking at Frank Lampard as a fit for Rangers.
“I don’t think he did a particularly great job towards the end at Chelsea when he had resources. At Derby, he didn’t get them to the promised land. He goes to Everton he didn’t have the toolkit, he may well have kept them up by the skin of their teeth the first team round but when it came on top Frank Lampard would have got them relegated.
“The only reason you put Lampard in the conversation is because it’s Frank Lampard the player. You don’t put him in the conversation because it’s Frank Lampard the manager, that’s why it makes no sense to me. Lampard is just a figure of people’s imagination right now, he needs to go away and regroup and become a football manager.”
Damning
Rangers need a manager to come in and bring with them guaranteed results and although Lampard is the sort of name to get people in their seats at Ibrox initially, there has been very little to suggest that he would be the type of manager the Light Blues need right now.
While Jordan has arguably been slightly overly critical of the former Everton boss, given how other managers have faired at Goodison Park, Pride Park and Stamford Bridge, before and after his time in charge, the overall point he is trying to make is correct.
If the Gers had been linked with a manager who had made a handful of League Two appearances with the same managerial record as Lampard, nobody would be pining for him to be given the manager’s job and that shows that the attraction to the 45-year-old comes from his playing career.
Whether or not he would even be interested in the opportunity is another question after he said on Monday Night Football (2 October) that he was enjoying time away from the game. This feels like a total non-starter currently.
